Bashar Al-Assad Gets Death Sentence in Major Syria War Crimes Case

New Delhi, August 11, 2026 The fall of the Assad dynasty has now been followed by a major judicial development, with former Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia over crimes linked to the country’s long-running civil war. His younger brother Maher Al-Assad and maternal cousin Atef Najib were also given death sentences in the same case. The ruling marks the first major court action targeting members of the Assad family since their more than five-decade rule over Syria came to an end. The court held Bashar Al-Assad responsible for crimes connected to Syria’s nearly 14-year conflict, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. The conflict began after protests against the government erupted in 2011 and went on to claim around half a million lives, while millions of Syrians were displaced. Atef Najib, a former Syrian army brigadier general and Assad’s maternal cousin, was also convicted. He had headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa in 2011 and, according to the court, played a leading role in the crackdown on protesters there. Najib was found guilty of offences including the deliberate killing of children below the age of 15 and torture resulting in death, which the court classified as crimes against humanity. Bashar and Maher Al-Assad were not present during the proceedings, while Najib, who had been detained in Syria, faced the court in person. His conviction makes him one of the most senior former government officials to stand trial since the Assad government was overthrown. Bashar and Maher fled Syria with family members after Islamist-led forces captured Damascus in December 2024 and subsequently received asylum in Moscow. Syria’s new authorities have continued efforts to prosecute former officials accused of abuses, including those who have left the country. The Assad family ruled Syria for more than five decades, first under Hafez Al-Assad and later under his son Bashar. The 2011 Arab Spring protests eventually became a full-scale civil war after the government responded with a violent crackdown. More than half a million people were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, while millions fled to countries including Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and several European states. The former government was also accused of using sectarian divisions to strengthen its hold on power. The latest verdict is therefore a significant step in the effort to address the legacy of Syria’s devastating conflict, although violence involving minority communities remains a serious challenge as the new leadership seeks to establish a political system representing all sections of Syrian society.